#9 Mountaineers Score Early, Often; Down Bulldogs 38-13

Saturday, October 20

Morgantown, W. Va.

2:30 p.m.

Mississippi State

4-4 , 1-3

#7 West Virginia

6-1 , 1-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Mississippi State

West Virginia

#9 Mountaineers Score Early, Often; Down Bulldogs 38-13

October 20, 2007 | Football

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)

MORGANTOWN, W. Va.. - West Virginia scored 28 first-quarter points and the ninth-ranked Mountaineers never looked back in a 38-13 victory over visiting Mississippi State Saturday afternoon in the second meeting ever between the teams, the first on the Morgantown campus.

With the loss, the Bulldogs dropped to 4-2 overall. WVU improved to 6-1. The Mountaineers claimed both meetings in the two-year series, also winning last season in Starkville.

The opening minute of the game set the tone for the afternoon. West Virginia fumbled the opening kickoff and MSU recovered deep in WVU territory, but the play was called back due to an offsides penalty against the Bulldogs. After the rekick, the Mountaineers struck very quickly as quarterback Patrick White scampered 64 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and WVU led 7-0 just 21 seconds into the contest.

After stopping State on three plays, the Mountaineers drove 88 yards on 12 plays for their second score of the afternoon. White hit Owen Schmitt on a 12-yard pass to cap the possession.

After a 51-yard return by Derek Pegues on the ensuing kickoff, the Bulldogs would assist West Virginia on its next score when Anthony Dixon fumbled on the first play and WVU's Marc Magro returned the loose ball to the State 16-yard line. Three plays later, the Mountaineers found paydirt again, White hitting Darius Reynaud on a 10-yard completion. WVU led 21-0 at the 6:09 mark of the first period.

WVU got great field position again on its next drive after a 23-yard MSU punt went out of bounds at the Bulldog 48. West Virginia took advantage again, completing its impressive first period of play with a five-play drive that ended with running back Steve Slaton's 26-yard touchdown jaunt. Slaton had another big day on the ground, gaining 128 yards on 23 carries.

Despite the tough opening quarter, State's defense would step up the rest of the way, limiting the Mountaineers to just 10 points the final three quarters.

After a WVU field goal six ticks into the second quarter, the Bulldog offense finally got on the board later in the period. A State punt pinned the Mountaineers at their own 1-yard line and, after a three-and-out by WVU, the resulting punt was returned by Pegues to the West Virginia 29. Bulldog quarterback Wesley Carroll found Jamayel Smith on a 22-yard pass play to open the State drive. Four Dixon rushes later, he found the end zone from a yard out on fourth down for MSU's first points of the day. WVU led 31-7 at halftime.

State's offense opened the second half impressively, taking the opening kickoff and driving 58 yards on 13 plays. Christian Ducre ended the possession with a 3-yard scoring rush. MSU's two-point conversion failed and WVU led 31-13 at the 9:50 mark of the third period. Both teams would go scoreless the remainder of the quarter.

The final points of the game came less than a minute into the final period. West Virginia notched a seven-play, 48-yard drive led by backup quarterback Jarrett Brown, who found Reynaud for his second TD reception of the afternoon, a 13-yard scoring pass.

All told, the Mountaineers outgained the Bulldogs 343 yards to 214, 260 of WVU's effort coming on the ground.

State was led by Dixon, who was limited to just 59 yards and one score by West Virginia. Carroll had another clean outing under center, completing 18-of-35 passes for 169 yards. He threw no touchdowns or interceptions in the contest. Tony Burks led the Bulldog receiving effort with six catches for 41 yards.

MSU stays on the road next weekend, travelling to meet nationally-ranked Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. The game is set for a 12:30 p.m. ET kickoff at UK's Commonwealth Stadium and will be televised by Lincoln Financial Sports.